New Ways
by KawaiiChare
Summary: When Lord Godo is mysteriously murdered, Yuffie leaves behind her reckless ways to take her place as the next leader of Wutai. a vin/yuffie. PLZ r+r!!! COMPLETE!!!! :D
1. Everything Changes

New Ways

Chapter 1

Everything Changes

"I'm back!!!" Yuffie cried, as she ran into the streets of Wutai after Cloud and his teammates saved the world from being destroyed by Meteor. She ran hysterically, holding her shureiken tightly and forcing all of her energy into her legs as she headed towards the Wutai Pagoda. As she got there, she headed straight for the Pagoda Tower, and ran into it.

"I'm home, Gorky!" she cried, then before he could do anything, she charged up stairs, and headed to the second level. "Shake!!! I'm back!"

Shake stared at Yuffie oddly, as Yuffie kept going like she never greeted 'hi', stampeding loudly to the next level.

"Chekhov!!! I made it back!!! ALIVE!!" she cried.

"M-Miss Yuffie! You're... back..." Chekhov replied, her voice shaking nervously.

"Yup!" Yuffie cried, oblivious to the nervousness the woman emitted, then headed up to level four.

"Hey, Staniv!!! I'm back!!!" Yuffie called, charging up the stairs, then continued going. Staniv frowned, then jogged down to the level which Chekhov guarded while Yuffie continued up.

"Dad!!! Dad!!!" Yuffie called, feeling so giddy, but her smile and hyperness faded as she saw Lord Godo laying on the ground, hyperventilating with blood gushing out of his stomach.

"Yuffie... You made it back," Godo gasped.

"Dad! What the hell happened?!" she cried, kneeling down and using her left arm (the one with the shield) to support her father's head.

"You're here..."

"DAD!!! What happened?!" she cried, her voice breaking. Her dark eyes were red and moist now, as she forced tears back.

"Take... Take over Wutai... Make the Da-Chao Statue proud..." Godo whispered in his last breath.

"No! I can't!" Yuffie cried hysterically. She buried her head in her father's chest, and for the first time since she was born, she cried. "I brought Materia back for you, Dad, just like you wanted," she whispered, her shoulders shaking uncontrollably in sobs.

* * *

"Why didn't you guys stop her?" Staniv asked, "Why?"

"I was too stunned. Shake and Gorky didn't even bother to fight her," Chekhov replied.

"She ignored us after saying 'hi'! She was too fast!" Gorky whined.

"So?" Staniv snapped, "You could've just took your sword and ran it through her from behind when she's not looking! And even if you do it from the front, she's too energetic to realize anything was happening until it happened!"

"Well, then, why didn't you?" Gorky yelled.

"I... I went downstairs to ask Chekhov what happened, before she yelled at me to run back up."

"See? I'm not the only one that was stunned," Chekhov said in her defence.

"Either way, the plan didn't work. It's time for Plan B," Staniv said, a confident glare in his eyes. A scary glare.

* * *

Yuffie breathed deeply as she prepared herself to break some news to the citizens of Wutai. She wasn't wearing her normal clothes anymore, but instead, a traditional kimono like everyone else was wearing. _For Dad, she thought, __It's gotta be for Dad, if not for me. If not for Wutai. If not for the Da-Chao._

"P-people of Wutai," she stammered, "A week ago, a devastating event took place in Wutai. My father, Lord Godo, was killed in the Pagoda Tower. He... He told me to take over Wutai just before he passed away, so it is with a heavy heart that... I... become the next leader of this city. I only hope I'll be as good of a leader as my father," she said, and she meant it. She had yelled at her father countless times for letting Wutai lose its dignity, and its purpose, but now as she thinks back on it, her father was a very good leader indeed, even if he did shame Wutai.

The people were silent, as she expected them to be. _They're judging me, she realized, __They're wondering if they should let a sixteen-year-old girl take over Wutai, especially after the way I've behaved. Well... I'll change. I'll change for Wutai. For Dad. Yes, everything's for Dad._

Yuffie stared up, and lifted her hand to blow a kiss to the heavens as silent tears ran down her cheeks and dampened her silk kimono.

_This kimono... It belonged to Mom. Dad wanted me to have this... He showed it to me a few days before I left Wutai. He wanted me to wear it. God, I was so Goddamn rebellious back then..._

*Flashback*

_ "Yuffie, I want you to wear this. It belonged to your mother," Godo said to a fourteen-year-old Yuffie._

_ "Ew! No! I ain't wearin' that, and I don't care if it was Mom's! I'm not looking like some bundled up marshmallow like everyone else in this city," Yuffie complained._

_ "But it would make her so proud," Godo said to Yuffie._

_ "What do you__ know about making people proud? You turned Wutai into a tourist attraction, instead of the fighting city it used to be! You did everything but __make people proud, so why should I?" Yuffie yelled, "You probably made Mom feel the very opposite of proud, so don't you tell me about pride."_

_ "Don't talk that way to me! I am your father-"_

_ "Yeah, some father you __are," Yuffie snapped, then ran out of her house._

_ Godo watched his daughter slam the door shut, and sighed, shaking his head. He stared up at the ceiling, and said, "What did I do wrong?"_

*End Flashback*

_God, Dad, I'm so sorry. But look! I'm wearing it now, aren't I? I'm so sorry... I'm so, so sorry... Yuffie thought, more and more tears flowing out. __Stop it, Yuffie, she told herself, __you have to be strong. Strong. Stand up straight. Good posture. That's what everyone expects you to do. At least, that's what everyone wants__ you to do. You have to prove to people that you're not the stupid girl you were when you left. You have to. You can't shame Wutai. You can't shame the Da-Chao. You can't shame yourself. You can't shame Mom. You can't shame Dad. Not ever._

Yuffie stared up at the sky once more, and whispered, "I love you, Dad."

* * *

Yuffie sat in her room, wearing her mother's kimono, thinking. Her mother had died when she was very young, too young to remember anything, and now her father. _I'm an orphan, she realized with horror, __I'm an orphan. A sad, lonely orphan. Just like Tifa, Red XIII and Cloud. I wonder if anyone else are orphans._

She stared at her old outfit that she had given up and was laying on the bed. A green head-band with a white strap and a blue piece of string, with its green fabric braided into two braids. A dark green turtleneck tanktop that went so far above her belly-button, and was tied off near her side. Tanned-color shorts with its top button undone to show her navel, and the pant-legs rolled up so it was extremely short on her. Dark gloves that only covered half her fingers, and on her right arm, a metal band with dark see-through fabric plastered onto her skin. On her left leg, a very similar thing- metal band with dark cloth wrapped tight around her leg. Baggy socks acompanied her lower part of her shins, and sneakers kept her feet company. On her left arm, there was a large shield-like thing, protecting her, or giving her extra strength. 

"Bull," she said aloud. All the reckless behavior was just a cover. Something to mask her true feelings, to mask her "hatred" for her father's ways, to mask her frustration at the fact that she can't remember a thing about her mother. She was her true self now. A follower of tradition. A passive flower, swaying with the wind, instead of a wolf, struggling to walk into it.

_What about the guys? she thought, __Do they __hide their feelings, too? She knew that Tifa hid her love for Cloud, and although she has tried to tell him many times before, she never succeeded. Red XIII hid the fact that his real name was Nanaki pretty well, and same with Cait Sith pretending to be a true member of the team instead of a spy, and then going in-between. Aeris... Aeris pretty much kept her feelings on the surface, and same with Barret, although there was so much she never knew about him and his hometown until he told people. Cid also had no secret feelings, but what about Cloud and Vincent? She never understood what was happening with Cloud, even though he explained it pretty good and was pretty nice to her, she just felt that he had some feelings that he would die before telling anyone other than his closest of close friends. And Vincent? She wondered if he was even human. He was so mysterious, so cold yet so wise and obviously had a big passion for Lucrecia, but something about him never clicked in right. Maybe he was just another clone, or an experiment of Professor Hojo's. Maybe._

"Dammit," Yuffie whispered, realizing that she has wasted too much time. She headed to the Pagoda Tower, and went up to the very top level. No one else was occupying the tower at this moment, and she felt kind of bored. What do people do in this tower? Do they just sit here all day and wait for people to challenge them? What do they do?

_Your feelings for Wutai are the same as Lord Godo's, a voice clicked in her head, __Keep that in mind._

"Staniv..." Yuffie whispered, remember who it was that told her that. She had just defeated her father, and gave him another one of her lectures about how he had changed Wutai so much, and he had told her that he was sorry. Her teammates left, and she had a quality talk with her father for once. It was then that Lord Godo told Yuffie to go and steal some Materia, then bring it back to Wutai to help it become the city it once was. When she had ran downstairs, Staniv had told her that phrase. 

"Dad... I'm sorry, but... Unfortunately, Wutai will never be the same," she whispered to no one, "I'm not as good of a leader as you are. I can't ever change... anything."__


	2. Struggles

New Ways

Chapter 2:

Struggles

A/N: should I add a lil bit of Vincent/Yuffie in here??????????????? I think it's too blah-ish if it's just about Yuffie and no one else. Oh, well, either way, I'm bringing back the characters, and Vincent's one of them, even if they don't fall in luv.

_Oh my God... Yuffie thought, rolling out of bed. It's been a few days since she has taken over Wutai, and she hates the job. __Why me? I'm so stupid. I'm probably gonna wind up having the people in this town end up dead, 'cuz they committed suicide since it's so frustrating being under my rule, or maybe... __Dammit, Yuffie, what the hell are you thinking?! You're insane!!! Goddammit, I'm insane..._

"Miss Yuffie," called a townsperson. Yuffie crawled up, and self-consciously tucked her short hair behind her ears, in attempt to hid her messy hair from sleeping too long.

"Yes?" she replied, trying to act as mature as possible.

"A package for you," the townsperson said.

"Oh. Thanks- I mean, thank you," Yuffie corrected herself, and received a small box. Kicking the door shut, she headed back to her bed and sat upon it, opening the parcel.

"What's this?" she asked herself quietly, and saw a letter with a few Materia with it.

"Dear Yuffie," it read, "Hi! It's us- Cloud, Tifa, Barret and Red XIII. We're hanging at Cosmo Canyon right now, near the fire, and you just happened to come across our thoughts. We were thinking about when you stole our Materia, and we thought we might as well do you a favor and give you our Materia. We've no need for it now.

Two months from now, we're calling all members of AVALANCHE to have a little celebration to congratulate ourselves on the victory against Sephiroth here in Cosmo Canyon. We want you to join us, mainly because you have been a very big help to us in our fight. Please respond!

Cloud, Tifa, Barret and Nanaki."

"Bull..." Yuffie said, scrunching up the letter. She stared at the Materia they left her, and felt a slight sliver of guilt making its way into her. Slowly, she felt more and more upset. She's always been like this; it was her nature to have almost no appreciation for the things done. Well, it _was her nature. This was one of the traits that she's trying to leave behind._

"Maybe... I will respond," Yuffie thought, then pulled out a sheet of paper and wrote upon it.

"Dear Cloud, Tifa, Barret and Red XIII," Yuffie wrote, then stopped. What would she write?

"Unfortunately, I'd like to come to Cosmo Canyon, but I can't. With me being the only heir to my father, I inherited the entire city of Wutai and I am now in control of it. I can't leave this town, as much as I despise it. I'm extremely sorry.

Thank you for the Materia. I appreciate it a lot. I promise I'll make sure no one steals it from me.

Yuffie."

* * *

"What do you mean, she can't come?" Barret yelled, ripping the letter from Cloud's grip, scanning Yuffie's writing.

"I mean, she can't come! Apparently, she's the new leader of Wutai, and has an obligation to stay there!" Cloud explained.

"Whatever happened to Lord Godo?" Tifa asked.

"I... Don't know," Cloud said, scratching his head, then swiftly brushed his hair out of his face.

"It's not like her to miss a 'celebration'," Red XIII said, frowning in deep thought.

"True," Tifa said, sitting down and fidgeting with her dark brown hair, "Maybe... Maybe we could go there to surprise her. I'm sure she'd love us," Tifa joked.

"Not bad," Red XIII said, smiling, "Not bad at all!"

"WHAT?!" Tifa exclaimed, "I was joking!"

"Good joke," Cloud said sarcastically, "I'm with Red XIII. I'm pretty sure that Yuffie is kicking herself right now, regretting ever rejecting the invitation, so might as well save her from herself."

"Barret! PLEASE say you're with me," Tifa begged.

"Hell, I'm going whether or not to celebrate! I gotta kick some brat-ass and demand a real explanation for not coming! It's so obvious she's lying just to not come, that little stuck-up asshole."

"DAMMIT!!!" Tifa cried in exasperation, falling backwards from her sitting position so she's laying down on the hard ground.

"Well, I guess we're going," Cloud said, "I'll re-send the letters to everyone," he said, and walked off.

"Tifa?" Red XIII asked.

"What?!" Tifa cried.

"Why don't you want to go?"

"Because... She's young. When I was young, I _got time alone when I __wanted time alone. I think we should just stay put, and let her have some time to think."_

Red XIII scoffed. "Time to think? She couldn't care less about time to think."

"True. Then, I guess, I just don't want to go because I was joking, I guess..." Tifa said, "God, I'm confusing myself."

* * *

"Why do we have to do this?" Shake asked, "Yuffie didn't do anything bad! And really, whats the point? I tell you where she is and what she's doing 24-7, and then what happens?"

Gorky opened his mouth to explain to Shake, but Staniv shook his head. "He'll learn soon enough," Staniv said, "And that'll be when this is all over. He's too young."

Shake frowned. He hated being left out just because of littleness. He had just as much attitude, common sense and smart-ness as any of them, but they always looked down on him, and thought of him as inferior, even though he was the guard of a level superior to that of Gorky's.

"So, Shake tells us when she's in her basement, and that's when Chekhov will short-circuit Yuffie's trap, right?" Gorky whispered when Shake was out of hearing range.

"Right," Staniv said.

"I don't feel right doing this," Chekhov said, "I've known Yuffie since she was born, and all of us were good friends with Lord Godo. Why are we doing this?"

"Because, my friend who bears an allergy to smartness, we will have control over the people of Wutai afterwards, and after Wutai comes the entire Western Continent, and after that, the Northern Continent, the Eastern Continent and the Southern Continent! Don't you see, Chekhov? We work little-by-little. Yuffie has no heir, therefore making us the next in line, since we were Lord Godo's 'close friends'," Staniv explained, "It's the perfect crime."

* * *

Yuffie has tried very hard to live up to the ideal leader for the past two months, almost two months anyway, but she has had no luck. Everything she does seems to be the trigger to some chain reaction, making the people hate her more and more. At least, that's what she thinks is happening.

"Why do I have a people-repellent?" Yuffie whined to herself one day in her room, "All the citizens of Wutai hate me. God, please, end this for me right now! Get someone else to be leader! Please!!!" Yuffie cried, staring up at the ceiling, talking to an invisible soul, "Please..." she sobbed, then thought about how much she misses her father. "Bring back Dad... He's the best that anyone would've ever seen... Please..."

Yuffie went downstairs into her basement, and sighed, sitting down against a wall, scrunched up with her head buried in her knees and crying. Ever since her father died, it became almost tradition to cry at least three times a day. Sometimes she wonders if she'll ever get dehydrated.

The young leader wiped away her tears against the sleeve of her beautiful kimono, and she cursed herself for making such a careless mistake, then stood up and walked to the center of the room.

BOOM!!! A metal cage fell down and trapped her.

"What the hell is going on?" Yuffie muttered, staring at her surroundings. Her dark eyes took a glance at the machine that she had told Cloud to switch on. "Dammit!" she cried. She had intended to get rid of that, but was so depressed lately, it kept on slipping her mind. "Shit..."


	3. "Are You Alright?"

New Ways

Chapter 3:

"Are You Alright?"

"We all here?" Cloud asked, doing a mental roll-call of his friends. They were gathered at the gates of Cosmo Canyon, planning on heading to Wutai to surprise Yuffie. 

"Yeah," Cid grunted, "Now let's go."

The group nodded, and proceeded to Yuffie's house.

* * *

"Shit... I gotta get out of this hell-hole," Yuffie muttered to herself. She's been stuck in her trap for a day, not a minute more and not a minute less, and she was feeling very hungry. "Food... Water..."

Yuffie sighed, kneeling down, sitting on her ankles, and smoothening out her dress. "Oh, well," she uttered, "While I'm here, I might as well practice my posture and patience."

* * *

Cloud stepped up to the door of Yuffie's house and rapped quickly on it. It has been about three days since they left Cosmo Canyon, and now they were at Wutai. "Yuffie?" he called, after having no response.

"Dammit!" Barret yelled, "She knew we were comin', so she locked up the door and wants to screen us out!" He directed his voice to the inside of her house and yelled as loudly as possible, "Well, that ain't happening, you dumb slut!"

"Shh," Tifa hushed, "What if she's resting?"

"Resting?" Cid scoffed, "As long as she's Yuffie, rest would be the last thing on her mind. She's probably out there, stealing everyone's Materia."

Cloud frowned at all the bad-mouthing, then pounded on the door once more. "Yuffie, it's me. Open up!"

"She ain't comin'!" Barret said, "She's so goddamn scared of us."

"Shut up!" Cloud said, "Yuffie, open this door right now!" he yelled, and knocked on the door multiple times.

No response.

"No one could out-sleep that noise," Red XIII mumbled, and that's when the impossible hypothesis entered their minds.

* * *

_ "Yuffie?"_

_ What?_

_ "Yuffie, it's me. Open up!"_

_Why? It's not like you care, and same goes to me- I don't care who in hell you are._

_ "Yuffie, open this door right now!"_

_ I don't want to. I can't. I'm trapped._

_ Yuffie had fainted a few hours ago from dehydration, or maybe it was just a few minutes passing by very slowly, although she wasn't entirely surprised. Crying, and lack of water for three days kind of does that to you. Voices revolved around in her head. She recognized the voices, too. The loudest was Cloud, and Barret, and somewhere in there, there was the hoarse whisper of Tifa, the harshness of Cid, and the logic of Red XIII. __Just voices, she told herself, __They wouldn't be here. They don't care about me. Not at all. It wasn't until the loud banging had opened her eyes that she realized that the voices were real._

"I'm in here," she yelled, but her voice got projected as a broken whisper. She cleared her throat, then tried again. "I'm in here! Help! I'm trapped!"

"Shut up, Barret! Listen!" came the muted voice of Cloud. His voice got louder, as she suspected he pressed his lips against the door, yelling, "Come again, Yuffie? I can't hear you!"

"I'm in the basement!" Yuffie yelled, enunciating every syllable, "Help! I need help!"

"How do we know you're not gonna con us?" Barret challenged.

"I won't! I promise!" Yuffie yelled once more. Everything was so embarrassing, and she knew her parents would be ashamed of her, but she didn't care. Maybe she would, after this is all over, but she wouldn't be able to do that if she died trapped.

"HOW... DO... WE... KNOW???" Barret yelled once more.

"Just trust me!" Yuffie yelled back, "And hurry!"

* * *

Cloud was more than surprised that Yuffie wanted their help. What's more, is that she was in her basement, and the only trap in there was her own. He didnt' believe her, but curiosity took him over and he ached to see what was really going on down there, so he rammed his body into the door in attempt to open it.

"What the hell are you doing?" Barret exclaimed, stunned.

"Move over, Cloud!" Tifa yelled at the same time, "This is a woman's job!" She backed up, and ran forward, shoulder-checking the door with her right side, and a blow winded her for a brief moment, but she kept on pushing.

"Hang in there, kid!" Cait Sith called with his mega-phone, as he commanded his white robot companion to throw himself into the door with Tifa and Cloud.

"Too bad we didn't come with our weapons," Red XIII mumbled.

"He did," Cid said, smirking a cocky smirk, tilting his head in a quick jolt in Barret's direction.

Barret stared at his gun-arm, and then said, "No way! That girl's probably getting what she deserves, and there ain't no way in hell I'm helping her."

"Barret..."

The masculin man turned around to the voice, and to his surprise, it was Vincent who persuasively prompted Barret to change his mind and help Yuffie by calling his name.

"Yo, what's it to you?" Barret smirked. 

Vincent was silent. His blood-red eyes stabbed Barret deep with an ice-cold glare, telling him to help.

Barret snarled. "Fine. Back up, everyone, back up!!!" Barret fired his gun first at the door-knob, then when the door still didn't swing open, he fired at the hinges.

"Once more!" Cloud called after Barret stopped, and he watched Cait Sith's white friend push the door over. Cloud took the liberty of walking into the house first, and he headed to the basement.

Not only was the trap on Yuffie surprising, the pink-colored kimono with light purple flowered design on it also gave it a hint of humor. Cloud chuckled, then quickly covered his mouth with his hand, in attempt to give Yuffie a little bit of her dignity back, but she saw it already.

"Cloud, please." Yuffie's voice was soft and pleading, also physically weak-sounding.

"What happened here?" Tifa cried, seeing the ironic scene. Cloud walked over to the machine and fidgetted with the levers, leaving the scene to register in her mind.

"I _knew it!" Barret exclaimed, "I knew you were lying just to not come to the party! Man, am I good or __what?"_

"I wasn't lying," Yuffie said in self-defense, but her voice was so weak-sounding, Barret only thought of it as a last-minute way to prove him wrong.

"Yuffie, this thing's broken," Cloud called.

"I know," she replied, "What do you think I did, flipped the lever then ran lightning-speed back to this place and managed to actually trap myself on purpose?"

"You're stupid enough," Cid smirked, walking down.

Yuffie gave Cid a sad stare, yet not a cute one. Just a plain, normal, depressed, hurt stare, yet... It looked like she accepted the fact, rather than keep it in denial. Cid winced slightly.

"Whoa! What in God's name happened down here?" Cait Sith called sarcastically, with a smile in his voice.

Yuffie sighed. "Laugh all you want. Not like it matters to me. I just wanna get out."

Red XIII walked down, then stared at the surroundings of this room. He approached the cage, and stuck his nose through the space in between the bars, and asked, "You're not hurt, are you?"

"No," Yuffie said, "Just hungry, thirsty, dizzy and nauseated. I've been stuck here for three days."

Red XIII stiffled a giggle, while Yuffie just sat there, accepting the fact that she's the laughing stock of the year.

Finally, the cage lifted up and Yuffie smiled, but the smile faded when she realizedd that she was free now, so she can go back to sulking and living her life in grief.

"Do you wanna tell us what happened?" Cait Sith said sarcastically and cruelly, with his voice in a baby-voice, as if talking to a blubbering kindergartener.

"Cait Sith, it's not funny," Yuffie mumbled under her breath, then added, "Go away."

"Suit yourself," he replied, then left the room.

"Same to you guys. Thanks for getting me out, but... Go away."

Yuffie buried her head in her knees and quietly sat there, depressed, as she listened to the quiet stampede of footsteps getting more and more silent. One, however, sounded different. It was the sound of metal against wood, instead of leather or plastic against wood. This footstep was getting louder, as well, and she sensed someone standing next to her after a while, someone watching her. A shiver ran up her spine as a cold and hard grip touched her shoulder. She lifted her head from her knees, and saw Vincent, squatting down to her eye-level.

_Vincent... Of all people to come back. Wait... He never came in the first place._

Behind his long and dark bangs, and underneath his serious brows, there laid his face, rock-hard and stone-cold. His eyes were soft and full of sincerity, while his voice showed no concern as he asked the question, "Are you alright?"


	4. Harsh Reality

New Ways

Chapter 4:

Harsh Reality

"I'm... I'm fine..." Yuffie was surprised that it was Vincent who really cared. Red XIII was just acting on childhood impulses, childhood innocence. Vincent was truly asking her if she was alright. Yuffie got up, and smoothed out her dress which had wrinkles on it from being on her ass for so long. She took for the door slowly, trying to look as dignified as possible, but it didn't really work. She wanted to cry for making such a huge fool of herself, but she couldn't cry. Not in front of Vincent, and plus, she still hadn't gotten that much-needed glass of water. She pinched the palm of her right hand hard, in attempt to distract her mind.

Vincent stood up, and stared after Yuffie silently, then right before she left the room, he spoke out once more. "Don't be intimidated. If you're truly telling the truth in your letter, then... Intimidation is not what you need."

He was referring to her being the new leader of Wutai, of course. Everyone thought that she was lying, and she knew it, even before this all happened. Barret, of course, felt the most strongly about it. He wanted everyone to celebrate with him. There was something comforting about having a rebel group by his side, in both hard times, and happy times, and at first, AVALANCHE was the group. AVALANCHE is dead now, though. Jessie, Biggs and Wedge were all killed. Biggs, the young man that was always pushed around by Barret with his fury for the leader's naggings bottled up inside. Jessie, the tomboy with a soft heart who planned all their routes and strategies. Wedge, the sensitive man with a soft spot for friends. They were gone. Now, it was the scrawny remainder of AVALANCHE, paired with many other people, and a beast. This was his group now, or at least, he was a part of his group. Yuffie never liked Barret for that reason- she felt like only a replacement. She thought it served him right to lose his place as a leader. That was why Barret had never believed her letter- he was still in denial of the fact that she couldn't come. Denial is a horrible thing.

* * *

"Alright, so far, both plans worked _very well," Gorky said sarcastically. It was almost midnight, and him, and Staniv were in Chekhov's home, discussing another plan of attack with her._

"Shut the hell up, Gorky," Staniv warned. Although he was younger, Staniv had a glare that killed anyone, and if it didn't, his fists would. (A/N: I'm not really sure Staniv's younger, I just have this impression that Gorky is some fat-ass old fart)

"What do we do now?" asked Chekhov.

"I say we kill her easy. No plan, because plans take too long, too much elaboration, and if something goes wrong, we're screwed for life. Let's wing it," Gorky said.

"No!" Chekhov said, "Let's not wing it, although killing her easy is the most logical thing to do."

"Alright, then," Staniv agreed, "we'll do that. Now let's think... Maybe we kill her, dismantle her, and when her sons-of-whores and bitch friends try to save her, we invite them over for dinner and disguise her body parts as food and feed it to them."

Gorky chuckled at the thought, and Staniv had an evil smirk plastered onto his face, while Chekhov smiled silently. Even though they displayed their emotions in different ways, they were all feeling the same thing- this is the best way to kill someone. 

Of course, they knew that to do this is just so much beyond human moral that it was impossible to do, but one child who woke up to take a drink of water truly believed they would do it. And he was so scared, he dared not make a sound. His name was Shake.

* * *

Yuffie's hard, wooden platform shoes clicked against the hard, gravel ground of the Da-Chao. Although she wasn't horribly religious, the Da-Chao was one place that she loved as a child to go to if she needed tranquility, time to herself. She had thought about this place a lot when she had left Wutai, and often wished she could feel its hard and sandy-colored mountainous terrain once more. _I'm back now, she told herself._

Yuffie almost didn't see the man crouched on the fingertips of the Da-Chao statue, staring out at Wutai, until the wind blew and out of the corner of her eye, she saw a red cape flash out.

"Vincent?"

Of course, he remained quiet.

"What are you doing here?"

"I'm... Looking at Wutai. How peaceful it is."

Yuffie scoffed. _Peaceful... It's hardly peaceful when your father just got murdered. "If you forgot, this city used to be a fighting city."_

Vincent was silent once more. He didn't talk unless he felt like he was needed to, or he was talked directly to. He would've elaborated and started a conversation with Yuffie, but there was just no need to. _No, I didn't forget. That's why I'm staring at how peaceful it is. I'm wondering why, and how something as quiet as this place used to be a battleground. I'm wondering how on earth it turned from a fighting city to a inactive place. I'm also wondering why you aren't doing anything about it. Of course, his habit of not talking unless it was needed was what confused him, and as did the history of Wutai. What was it that made him persuade Barret into helping Yuffie? If he hadn't said a word, they would've found a way in anyhow, so why was he so eager to help, or get Barret to?___

_ Great... Yuffie thought, __Now I can't think in peace, not with him watching me like that. I really want time to myself. Yuffie began to leave, but stopped, observing how silent everything was._

"Aren't you going to ask why I'm leaving?" Yuffie asked, without turning.

_Yes, he thought, __Why are you leaving? "No," Vincent replied simply, then watched Yuffie walk into Wutai._

* * *

"No," Yuffie said firmly, then walked off.

"Yuffie, please!" Cloud begged, "We have nowhere else to stay! We can't sleep at your place, and I'm pretty sure the citizens dont' want us barging into their houses and asking for a place, so please, let us stay at your dad's inn!"

"No!" Yuffie said once more, still keeping up her pace.

"Yuffie!"

"No! No, no, no, no! No!" Yuffie repeated as she stopped to glare at Cloud straight in the eye. "That is my _father's inn. You don't have any right to go there."_

"Last time we were in Wutai, he let us," Cloud countered.

"That's because he was nice to you new-comers. You still had no right to intrude in there. You should be glad my dad didn't get you arrested for breaking-and-entering," Yuffie told him.

"My God!" Cloud said, throwing his hands up in exasperation, but Yuffie was walking away already and didn't hear him.

Yuffie stood in front of her father's inn. Tears started forming, but she forced them back, and slowly opened its front doors. She stepped in, and walked to the temple inside, and knelt down, clasping her hands together, interlacing her fingers.

"I... Don't know what I'm supposed to do," she began, staring at the glittering gold statue, "But... Mom, Dad, I... Know you can hear this. I _hope you can hear this. Oh, God... I really need help. Please... Come back. I need help. I need you guys... I love you guys..." Mercilessly, beads of crystal clear tears trickled down her cheeks, and fell down, landing on the carpeted floor._

"Yuffie?" a soft voice called. Yuffie turned, and saw Cloud, Tifa, Cid and Barret standing in the doorway to the temple.

"So you weren't lying..." Barret uttered to himself.

"No," Yuffie said, sniffing slightly, "I wasn't. Thanks for calling me a liar, Barret, and thanks for coming here even though I specifically told you not to," she said sarcastically, then stood up and walked off. _What do I have to do to get a little privacy? The door to my house is kicked down, Vincent's at the Da-Chao, and now they're here. Is there no God? "Since you're already here, there's no point in telling you not to come, since you defied the very purpose of me telling you not to come here. You might as well stay the night in this place," Yuffie said roughly, refusing to make eye-contact with her friends. She wasn't happy with this decision. Not happy at all._

"Yuffie?" a distant voice called, and Yuffie heard the front door open, then slam shut. Yuffie pushed her way through the corridor, and saw Shake with a scared expression on his face. "I need to talk to you," the ten-year-old said, "alone."

Yuffie nodded, then headed to a room and opened up a secret door. She let Shake in first, then she followed, and closed off the door. "What is it?" she asked.

"It's about your dad," Shake began, "and you."

Yuffie felt nervous, and she sensed that this was going to be bad news. _Do I really want to know this? "What... What is it?"_

"It's Staniv, Gorky and Chekhov," Shake whispered, "They're behind this!"

"Wait- behind what?"

"I overheard them talking yesterday," Shake said, ignoring Yuffie's question, "and they said they were going to dismantle you, and then feed your body to your friends!"

Yuffie was silent, then she eyed Shake suspiciously. "How do you know all this?"

"Hell-ooh," Shake said sarcastically, "I _live with Chekhov!"_

"They... They wouldn't do that," Yuffie said, dismissing Shake's conspiracies.

"Do you not see the point of this?" Shake exclaimed, "They killed your father! They killed Lord Godo, and they're going to kill you, too! Don't you see? Maybe you're right- maybe they won't dismantle you, but they will kill you one way or another! Yuffie, open your eyes!"

Suddenly, the image became clear. Why Chekhov was so stunned to see Yuffie- Gorky was supposed to have killed her. Why Staniv had frowned after she had took off to the fifth floor of the tower- it was oblivious that he had any emotion, but now she realized he had frowned, and she knew what the frown was for. Chekhov was supposed to have killed her. They wouldn't have expected Shake to, he's too young to participate in murder. They wouldn't trust him enough, even though he was extremely mature. And the trap... _They had set it off. "Oh, my God..." Yuffie whispered._

A/N: Next chapter I'm adding the first touch of Vincent x Yuffie!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Whoopie!!!!


	5. True Pain

New Ways

Chapter 5:

True Pain

Yuffie sighed as dusk settled in upon Wutai. The chilly, yet warm wind conforted her, but also let her know that she needs to watch out, especially since she was in her house when the winds blew in through her front door. Yuffie frowned at that. She hadn't had a chance to fix the door yet, and she wasn't about to do it when she's about to go to sleep. She walked behind a paper screen held up by wooden frames, carefully crafted and glazed, as she changed into her night wear, then slipped a robe over it.

_I need protection... she realized, then walked out. She folded her arms in front of her chest, in attempt to block the wind which now bit at her, but her arms now took the pain. Her short hair blew around messily, and she reached up to tuck it behind her ear. Everyone was asleep now, so she felt strangely out of place. The scarlet and crimson clouds had changed colors against the deep blue sky which faded into a forest green upon the west side of the city, as the sun was no longer visible from the horizon._

Yuffie walked to the Pagoda Inn, and opened its doors. She knew where everyone was sleeping, call it woman's intuition, and pondered upon who she should ask for help.

Cloud, Tifa and Barret were in the room closest to the front door, the one with three beds laid out on the carefully weaved tatami (A/N: I forgot if that was what it was... something with three syllables. It's been more than a year since I studied Japan) mat. Cid, Cait Sith and Red XIII were in the room to the right, and Vincent had her father's old room all to himself. It wasn't surprising, really. They were all scared that Vincent might have one of his nightmares, and he'll lash out his Claw at whoever's sleeping next to him in his sleep and shred whomever to pieces. It was that fear that made Cid sleep in the same room as Cait Sith, because you'd never see the aggravated pilot choose the "Worthless Shinra Spy" as his roommate.

Who should she choose? She wanted someone who wouldn't ask why. This was strictly secret between Shake and her, and of course, her new nemesises (A/N: is that a word?!). That takes out Tifa, Cid, Red XIII and Cait Sith. Not Barret, because he wouldn't even go near her. He didn't even believe her letter, not ever. What about Cloud? No, because Aeris wanted him to be her bodyguard, and it might be too much for him to do it again. That left Vincent...

Yuffie sighed, as she thought of a method of approach. _Hey, Vincent, I wanted to know if you'd like to protect me as long as I live? she thought, __Uh, no._

The young girl shook her head, and ran her fingers through her short and soft hair, then finally thought of something. It was a wild and weird way to get him to agree, but it might just work...

"Vincent?" she called softly in front of the screen door closest to the temple.

The door slid open wide enough for a person to squeeze through, and there was the dark-haired man. "Yes?"

_Here goes nothing... Yuffie thought, then took a deep breath. She reached up, and grabbed Vincent's face, then pulled him down, plastering a firm and quick kiss on his lips, then pulled his face off hers._

Vincent blinked in surprise. _What the hell was that?!_

Yuffie felt a rush of embarrassment, then she wrapped her arms around his body, burying her face in his chest, hugging him tightly. _I hope this is not too insane... Dad, tell me if this is too insane. The thought of her father brought light tears to her eyes, and although she bit her lower lip to keep the tears from flowing out, Vincent's jet-black shirt acted as a tissue for her, and he felt cold tears touch his skin._

_What the hell... Vincent thought, then gingerly, still in shock, put his hands lightly on her back, and rubbed it. __She's probably confused by her father's death. "Yuffie?"_

"Mm?"

"What are you doing?"

Yuffie sighed. She might as well come clean. "Do you want the reason why, or do you want the real scheme?"

Vincent thought for a moment. "The scheme."

Yuffie let go of him, then refused to make eye-contact with Vincent, afraid that she might see his eyes mocking her and laughing at her stupidness. "I was doing that to seduce you."

Vincent was shocked. "Why were you trying to seduce me?"

"'Cause I wanted protection," Yuffie explained, "Will you protect me?"

Once again, Vincent was shocked. He said nothing, and waited in awkward silence for a sign to tell him yes or no.

"I thought so," Yuffie said, assuming the worst, then walked out of his room. "Goodnight."

Vincent didn't bother to close the door, and neither did Yuffie. He was too confused and stunned, and Yuffie was too embarrassed and disappointed.

_Maybe I should, Vincent thought, __After all, she's a young child in need. I should help her. _

As Vincent thought his thoughts, Yuffie laid down in the corridor, closing her eyes. _If Vincent won't help me, I guess I'll just follow everyone around everywhere. If I get killed here, it'll be loud enough for Vincent or Cid or someone to hear me and see who murdered me. Slowly, she entered slumber._

Vincent was still swimming in his thoughts when Yuffie fell asleep. He could tell she was, even though he couldn't see her, because her breathing became long and deep, giving off a hissing sound as she breathed through the back of her nose and throat. Vincent walked out, and saw Yuffie's innocent face resting in peace. Her bangs fell over her forehead, and her eyes were closed. Dark eyelashes brushed her ivory skin as her eyes rapidly shot back and forth in dreamworld, and her nose wrinkled once in a while. Her lips, however, were what intrigued Vincent the most. They reminded him of someone... Someone he hadn't seen in a while. They urged him to kiss them... To brush his lips against hers, and he gave in to the temptation. He squated down, and placed a hand on the floor on the oposite side of Yuffie, as he leaned over and gave Yuffie a light, soft and simple kiss. He stood up, and sighed loudly, then walked towards his room.

"I guess that means you'll protect me?" came a sleepy voice. Vincent turned and saw Yuffie still with her eyes closed, but her breathing had changed.

"I guess," Vincent said, confused at what had happened.

Yuffie's eyes shot open, and she flashed a grateful smile at him. "Thank you, Vincent. It means a lot to me," she thanked. _Perhaps even my life. "May I sleep in your room?"_

Vincent shrugged, then said, "If you want..."

"Thank you!" Yuffie exclaimed, then walked into his room, Vincent following. After all, it _was ladies first, wasn't it?_

Vincent slid the screen door shut, and turned to slip his body into his bed. With his head pointing in the direction of the temple, he flipped so his back was to the door (he had a habit of sleeping on his left arm that he recently developed), with his weight on his left arm- the Claw. That's when he saw Yuffie laying on the hard floor, shivering uncontrollably. Vincent sighed, then sat up and undid his cape. With a graceful movement, he slid the cape over her and watched with silent satisfaction as Yuffie's teeth stopped chattering.

_Poor girl, Vincent thought, __She's lost everything. Now she's turned to me... She's stooped so low, trying to seduce me to help her. Maybe God will help her._

* * *

"Whoa! Don't wanna know what this is about," Cid grunted, opening the door to Vincent's room. He saw Yuffie and Vincent sleeping on the floor with Vincent's cape over Yuffie's body.

Yuffie woke up, and brought herself to a sitting position, letting the cape slip off her upper body. "Why're you here?"

"Some kid wants to talk to you. He says since you're not at your house, you must be here, and I checked every room in this inn before I found you here," Cid said.

"There is only four rooms," Yuffie said.

"Still, I never thought you'd be here! And isn't the temple connected to your secret hideout? The one near the shrine with that gong-thingy?" Cid responded.

"Whatever. Who's the 'kid'?" Yuffie asked.

"I think it's the one you had to fight in the tower," Cid said, "but I'm not sure."

"Shake?" Yuffie asked.

"Dunno."

Yuffie stood up, and walked towards the door. In between herself and the door, however, was Vincent, still sleeping. _Should I wake him? If it's Shake at the door, I should probably get him up... But what's the use, if I'm not gonna tell him why I want his protection anyway? Yuffie shrugged off the thought, and lightly kicked Vincent in the side as she walked to the door. "Get up," she told him firmly._

Vincent slowly opened his eyes, and he saw a blurry vision of Yuffie walking over him and to the door. He groaned, then saw that his cape was where Yuffie had slept last night, on the floor. He got up and put it on himself.

"Man, why do you wear that?" Cid asked, with a strange look on his face, "Do you think you're some superhero?"

_No, I just feel that with this covering most of my face, it's like my shield against the world. Vincent shrugged, then walked slowly past Cid and down the corridor._

Yuffie was already out there, listening intentively to Shake's loud whispering. He stopped, seeing Vincent.

"Yuffie..." Shake said, prompting Yuffie to send Vincent away.

Yuffie followed Shake's gaze, then turned back to her young friend. "Don't worry- he's my protection person. If you really want him away, though..."

"I _do want him away," Shake said firmly._

Yuffie turned, then gave Vincent a glare, and motioned for him to turn around, or walk away. Vincent did as wanted.

"Now what were you saying?"

"Okay, so it turns out they aren't going to eat up your mangled body, but instead, they're gonna use you as a human punching bag, beat you to death and then throw you in the fire in the cave where the Da-Chao is," Shake explained in one long sentence.

"Whoa..." Yuffie gasped. The thought of something like that brought illusionary pain to her body, and she knew that if the three adults decided to do something, they wouldn't hesitate. After all, they were planning to starve her to death by setting up the trap.

* * *

Yuffie was willing to take a slight risk at heading up to the Da-Chao by herself. She hoped that this time, Vincent wouldn't be there, yet she also knew she'd feel safer with someone watching her.

She entered the cave which she hoped would not be her grave, and sat near its blazing fires, burying her head in her knees. _Life can be so cruel... The warm, intense heat of the flames conforted her like a warm hug on a winter's day, against the northern blizzard. This was what she needed. Time alone._

* * *

Vincent felt a strong tug on the back of his cape. He turned, looked down and saw Shake pulling on it.

"You're Yuffie's protector-person, right?"

Vincent nodded solemnly.

"Where is she?"

Vincent shrugged. "I don't know."

"How do you not know?" Shake exclaimed, glaring at Vincent.

"I just don't."

"Well then, find her!" Shake commanded.

Vincent stared at the Da-Chao. Perhaps she was there. "Have you tried the Da-Chao?"

Shake shook his head, and followed Vincent's lead up the rocky trail.

* * *

A small spark from the on-going fire landed on Yuffie's dress, near the ankles. The spark died out, leaving a small black speck on the perfectly smooth silk. Yuffie shuffled around to another position, and listened to the muted yet amplified crackle of the fire being echoed within cave walls, making its way to her ear.

Out of nowhere, she felt an urge to look down at her dress. She was sitting awfully close to the fire, because the cave itself was cold and she needed warmth. When she looked down self-consciously, she saw that a fire has started lightly on a small loose thread, and a sharp jolt of pain nipped her ankles.

"Oh, shit!" she yelled, then stood up immediately.

"Yuffie!" Vincent and Shake yelled. They had arrived here just in time to see her stand up in panic, then bend over to smother out the fire.

"Shit..." Yuffie sighed, seeing the dark cut that the fire left, "Shit. I'm such a dumbass."

"You okay?" Shake asked silently. Yuffie nodded firmly, as tears started to form and fall.

_I'm such a dumbass..._

* * *

Yuffie waited patiently for the boys to be done fixing her door. Cloud and Cid had offered to fix her door that they took down, as a way to say 'sorry' to her. Vincent and Shake were inside with her, staring at her in awkward silence.

"Done!" came Cid's triumphant voice. Cloud shut the door, then opened it once more to test it.

"Thanks, guys," Yuffie said, smiling sadly at them. She was still upset at her carelessness.

"Welcome," Cid responded, and he and Cloud took off.

"I gotta change out of this," Yuffie said, referring to the singed kimono.

"Okay," Shake immediately said, then took off.

"I'll leave you alone..." Vincent started.

"It's alright," Yuffie said, "I have a paper screen. I just didn't want to change when the others were fixing the door because it's very awkward changing while hearing a clang-clang. Besides..." She left the sentence hanging, as she remembered not to tell anyone about her deadly situation.

Vincent frowned, but did as Yuffie wished, and turned his head away so he wouldn't see her shadow stripping against the screen.

Yuffie took off her mother's silk kimono, silently cursing herself for her stupidity. Then she put on another kimono, very much like the silk one, only made of cotton, yet looked identicle to the untrained eye. _I can't wear this, she thought, __It looks too much like Mom's. This kimono was like a forgery of a painting- while the original Monet was carefully crafted with layers of oil paint over a state-of-the-art canvas, a forgery was made by dots of cheap water paint over stretched cloth._

Yuffie sighed, and took off the replica of her mother's kimono, and put on a simple one. It was white with a tint of beige in it, with red trims. Very, very simple indeed. She stepped out and Vincent looked at her.

_Those lips... he thought, __Should I tell her? "Your lips," he began._

Yuffie frowned. "What?!"

"They're just like Lucrecia's..."

Yuffie widened her eyes. _Just like Lucrecia's__?! Is that the only reason he wanted to help me, was because I'm some kind of a replacement for his dear-old Lucrecia__?! Yuffie glared at him, then lifted her right arm and brought her hand across Vincent's left cheek with a loud slap. Vincent turned his head to the right from the impact, and then stared at Yuffie in silence. He lifted his Claw, and rubbed his cheek but in his haste, a fingertip of the inhuman arm gave his face a deep scratch. Vincent winced._

"How dare you say that," Yuffie said, fury posessing her dark eyes.

"I'm sorry..." Vincent said, mentally yelling at himself. He reached out with his left arm, his Claw, and touched Yuffie's face lightly in an apologetic way.

Yuffie didn't take it in. She gave one ugly look at the metal hand touching her face, then gave another angry look at Vincent, saying coldly, "Are you just doing that because you dont' want to physically touch your precious Lucrecia clone with your real body, or just because you're left-handed yet fire guns with your right?"

Vincent gave her a hurt look. He almost couldn't believe she had said that. He frowned, shaking his head in disbelief, then opened the door to her house, almost running out in fury. His crimson cape blew with the wind, giving him a mysterious look.

Yuffie ran outside, regretfully. She jogged down the stairs and stepped on her front yard, on the soft green grass that poked her ankles through the platform sandals. A remorseful tear fell from her eye and landed on the soft grass. She sighed, and took back to her house, up the stairs step-by-step, then opened her front door.

Wait... since when did she even close it?

When she stepped in, she saw Staniv waiting for her inside, giving her the hardest glare one could give.

"S-Staniv! What are you doing here?" she stammered.

"This," he replied, then threw a punch at Yuffie's stomach, causing her to fall backwards, ramming into a shelving unit and get knocked out unconscious from the falling shelf.

A/N: Yeah, yeah, I know, a long chapter, ne? Oh, well, I really wanted her to give Vincent her whip-lash session. I don't know why. Oh, yeah, and yes I know the burning kimono part was very stupid, but believe me, it'll help in the future.


	6. Paranoia

New Ways

Chapter 6:

Paranoia

"Oh, God..." Yuffie muttered. She woke up and saw blurry images of a very familiar place. Her wrists hurt and so did her ankles, but she didn't notice it, for she was trying to find out where she is...

_Daddy?_

Yes, this was where she is. The fifth floor of the Pagoda Tower. The deathbed of her father. She blinked as her eyes readjusted to the surroundings, trying to make out what was happening.

"So, the bitch is awake," a voice laughed, and you look in the direction of the stair case, and up came Staniv, Gorky and Chekhov.

"Bite me," Yuffie uttered, narrowing her eyes.

Gorky tisk-ed her. "Not too graceful."

Yuffie narrowed her eyes more, and spat on Gorky's face.

He smirked, then blew a punch at Yuffie's stomach. She screamed in pain, then calmed herself down. She attempted to kick him in the face, but when she lifted her foot, a sharp cut jolted her back and she realized that her feet were tied at the ankles against something... A large wooden pole, and her wrists were tied up as well. _Shit._

* * *

"Mr. Vincent?" an urging voice called, "Mr. Vincent!"

Vincent kept walking, ignoring the childish voice.

"DAMMIT, VINCENT!"

Vincent turned around and saw Shake standing behind him.

"What?" Vincent asked.

"Where's Yuffie? She's not home."

Vincent frowned. "Did you check the inn? The Da-Chao?"

"Yes, and yes," Shake said, "I checked everywhere except the tower, but considering that's where her dad died, I don't think she'd go there."

"What are you guys talking about?" came a joyous Tifa, stolling towards the two with Cloud following close behind.

"We dont' know where Yuffie is," Vincent explained.

"Why dont' you check the tower?" Cloud asked.

"It's where her dad died! Would you go to where your dad died?!" Shake exclaimed.

Tifa and Cloud thought for a moment, then decided upon a 'yes'.

"Why would she be in the tower?" Shake thought out loud.

"Shake," Vincent asked quietly, "Why did she want my protection?"

"She wanted protection?" Tifa repeated, surprised that the cocky ninja wanted anything.

Shake stared at Vincent. "Alright... I'll tell you... Provided you won't tell anyone."

"Well, we gotta tell the others," Tifa said, and Cloud nodded in agreement, "As annoying as Yuffie is, or was, she's still our friend. Well, at least, my friend."

Shake sighed. "Alright, get your other friends..."

Tifa and Cloud found Red XIII staring at the Da-Chao, while Barret and Cid were at the bar, laughing and talking about "old times". Cait Sith was found just walking around town aimlessly. They gathered together and Shake told them everything. Every single detail, every little twists of story.

"So that's what's happening..." Vincent said quietly.

"Wait- if we can't find Yuffie, then..." Cloud left the sentence hanging, hoping that everyone would get the picture in their heads.

"I'll check their homes," Shake said, 'their' being Staniv, Chekhov and Gorky's. Of course, they weren't there.

"They're trying to kill her in the tower," Shake realized, "Shit."

* * *

Yuffie's been knocked unconscious, and then regained consciousness all too many times to count. Blood trickled from her nose and out of the corner of her lips, and bruises were splattered all over her body. Rope burns on her wrists and ankles cut deep into her skin, and she often feels it bleeding once in a while. Amazing that rubbing skin with a rough surface can cut you.

"Vincent..." she whispered, too quietly for anyone to hear her, "Where are you? You're supposed to protect me..." It was then that she remembered how cruel she was to him, and tears formed in her eyes, but she refused to let them out. She can't let her father's murderers see her cry. She must stay strong. _"Your father's feelings for Wutai are the same as yours..." That's a load of bullshit, Staniv. No, you are a load of bullshit. Just a load of bullshit..._

For a moment, she saw a flash of red near the staircase, and of course, it registered to her as Vincent, but... People get paranoid when they get beaten up. He's not really there. Afterall, why would he come after she's been so cruel to him?

* * *

"Shit..." Vincent uttered.

"What?" Cloud asked.

"I can't get a shot of the ropes holding Yuffie's limbs, not at this angle," Vincent whispered.

"Alright," Cloud said, "We outnumber them anyway. Shake, take Vincent to the hill behind the tower. You can shoot through the window."

Vincent nodded, and grabbed his sniper rifle, then followed Shake out of the tower and up a steep hill.

"Do you have a shot?" Shake asked as Vincent crouched down low and aimed his gun.

Vincent nodded, and closed one eye, then aimed very carefully. If he missed, then he could never forgive himself for as long as he lived.

* * *

Yuffie sighed. _I'm as good as dead. Just then a crash sound rang through the room as she felt a sharp yet muted jolt shock her hands, and her back as well, and she felt that her hands were lighter than usual. Another muted jolt rumbled her back, but this time, it was her ankles that felt light. She fell forward, and pulled her hands out to catch her body. Staring at her reflexes, she realized that she was free._

"Hold it right there!" Cloud yelled, charging in, drawing his sword out. His team members followed, holding out their weapons. Yuffie walked around to the other side of the wooden pole, the one facing the broken window, and saw two bullet holes with a silver bullet in each. Only one person could have an aim that accurate- Vincent Valentine. _So I wasn't paranoid... He really came._

Staniv and Chekhov held their hands up, while Yuffie wiped blood from her face with her hand. Sweat had formed at the hairline and forehead, making her face disgustingly sticky.

"Guys?" Yuffie called, "Where's Vincent and Shake?"

"Out on the hill," Cloud said, keeping his sword drawn, yet glancing over at Yuffie, "Vincent needed a clean shot of your restraints, so I sent them up there."

"Hey," Barret called, pointing his gun-arm at the two murderers, "Where's the fatass?"

Just then, a loud bang rumbled through Yuffie's ears. No one else sensed it, but Yuffie knew exactly what it was- the sound of a sniper rifle being shot. "SHAKE!!!" Yuffie yelled, then she ran hysterically down the stairs, exiting the tower. She ran towards the tree-covered hill north of the tower and ran insanely along the cement ground. Her platforms made it extremely hard to run in, so she kicked it off, then continued. When she got up to the soft ground of the hill, she saw Vincent holding both hands up, and Gorky with Shake. _Where's the rifle?_

"Yuffie!" Shake yelled, seeing her out of the corner of his eye.

"Shut up, boy!" Gorky yelled, and turned to see where Yuffie was, and it was at that moment that Yuffie saw the gun- pointing at Shake's neck.

"Let him go, Gorky," Yuffie commanded.

"Only if you decide to give up Wutai," Gorky threatened.

"Don't do it, Yuffie!" Shake yelled.

"Shut up!" Gorky inched the gun closer to Shake's neck, and Yuffie felt her heartbeat thump louder and faster until it was all she could hear. It blocked out her thinking voice, talking voices, everything.

"Let him go!" Yuffie repeated.

"Give me Wutai!" Gorky yelled insanely.

Yuffie muttered nervously as she tried to clear her mind and think.

"Ten seconds, girl," Gorky threatened, "Nine, eight,"

"Uh..."

"seven, six, five, four, three, two, one,"

"Give me seven days!" Yuffie finally yelled.


	7. Encouraging Inspiration

New Ways

Chapter 7:

Encouraging Inspiration

"Why did you do that?" Shake demanded once everyone had cooled down. They were in Yuffie's house, and they were all worried, shaking their heads.

"Because it was the only way to get you alive," Yuffie said, her eyes filled with concentration as she interlocked her fingers and rested her chin on her out-stretched thumbs.

"Well, now the world is gonna get taken over by some homicidal people in about three years!!!" Shake yelled.

"No, they won't, and if they do, they're not starting with Wutai," Yuffie said solemnly.

"But you said-"

"I said," Yuffie interrupted, staring into Shake's eyes with hidden laughter, "I'd announce it. Anything could be _it."_

Shake slowly understood as Yuffie smiled the smile that no one has seen for a long while- her sly smile.

"So... What's your plan?" Red XIII asked quietly.

"Well, I have to risk Shake to do this. Is that alright?" Yuffie checked.

Shake nodded.

"Alright. What happens is, all of us leave. We sort of 'disappear' for that morning, but Barret and Tifa, stay behind and watch out for Shake. Now, we won't really leave, we'll just be in the bushes. After all, Wutai has so many trees that it just makes you dizzy. We'll hide in there and we'll kill them from behind."

"What's the point of Shake?" Cloud doubted, brows furrowed in confusion.

"Well, they'll expect someone to tell the people of Wutai that the city goes to those damn bastards, but if no one is there, they'll _really suspect something and be straight on the lookout."_

"So, you're getting Shake to represent you? Wouldn't that still give the city to them?" Red XIII asked.

"Not really. The bylaws state that no one can give up their estate except the owner of it themselves. Now, Shake, when you go up to the podium, say these exact words so that it won't be legit: 'Miss Kisaragi is running an errand so I guess I'm here.' Don't say anything else, even if it means the same thing. Got it?" Yuffie said, staring intensely at Shake.

He nodded, speechless.

"Good." Yuffie sighed, then said to everyone, "We can't screw this up. This is a game to the death, and its motto is 'Kill or Be Killed'."

Everyone was silent, until Cait Sith broke out in an attempt to lighten the mood, "Why is it to the death?"

A light chuckle sounded throughout the room although normally they wouldn't laugh. Perhaps when people are tense, they tend to laugh easier...

* * *

It was the night before the seventh day remaining, the night before they'd have to fight the battle. It wasn't really the battle that kept Yuffie awake, it was merely the fact that a child may die and it'll all be her fault.

Yuffie sighed. She went behind her screen and changed under the faint flickering light of a candle, and started removing her clothes. She froze dead in her tracks, however, when she heard a door open and a voice call her name. _Who the hell could this be? "Who... Who is it?"_

"It's me..."

_Vincent. Yuffie had thought about him for this whole week, wondering why she had so hoped that Vincent was the one to save her. Perhaps it was his sentimental personality, or maybe his gentle touch, although he had a fist of steal, literally. Or was it the fact that he was much older than she, and that he had the looks that any girl would die for? Perhaps it was all of the above. She never quite knew._

"What are you doing?" Yuffie said quietly, trying to control her voice.

"I'm..." Vincent stopped short, seeing the naked shadow of Yuffie against the translucent paper screen. "I'll turn away..."

Yuffie sighed in relief, then picked up a thin pink tank top with the thinnest spaghetti straps. She slipped on red fleece pants with yellow lines on it, making a plaid design. It was comfortable and easy to change out of- just what she needed the day before she kills some of the most important people in Wutai.

She finished changing, and when she turned around she gasped as she saw Vincent standing there. Reacting to this, she grabbed a blanket and covered herself with it although she was already dressed.

"I didn't see anything. You were done anyway."

Yuffie's eyebrows rose up as she wondered how he knew. Maybe he saw her shadow through the screen... Her heart lept to her throat as she imagined that maybe Vincent was watching her change, yet not really seeing her.

_I have to tell him, Yuffie told herself, __or I may never get the chance to..._

_ "Um... Vincent?"_

Vincent replied with a stare.

"Listen... I feel so stupid saying this," she began, as she ran a hand nervously through her hair, "but... I really need to tell you." Yuffie sighed, then sat down nervously, but realized it wouldn't help so she stood up again. "I think I love you..."

Vincent remained silent as she expected he would. Maybe a little too quiet.

Yuffie shrugged, hiding her pain which created from his emotionless face. "It's alright. I just needed to tell you. You dont' have to do anything."

Vincent looked away as did Yuffie, then he coughed, trying to break the ice. "Yuffie... I-"

"I know," Yuffie interrupted, "You love Lucrecia. I don't care. I probably don't like you, anyway. I jumped to a conclusion too fast. It's alright." _Yes... It's alright, she reassured herself, although she knew that it would be useless because it __wasn't alright._

"Sorry..." Vincent said quietly, then left.

"Oh, yeah, Vincent?" Yuffie called softly.

He turned around at the call of his name.

"Why'd you come anyway?"

"I couldn't sleep so I wanted to know if you were up or not."

Yuffie chuckled lightly. "I guess we're both pretty nervous about tomorrow, huh?"

Vincent looked in her deep eyes, so deep if one was to stare at it long enough, they'd get trapped in its vast darkness. "I guess."

* * *

"Yuffie," a voice called groggily, "It's about two hours from dawn. Time to get up."

Yuffie blinked, then opened her sleepy eyes for good, listening to whom it was.

"Hurry up," the voice called again.

The girl squeezed her eyes shut a few times to get used to waking up so early, then called out, "I'll be out soon, Cid."

The ninja pulled herself out of bed, half regretting leaving the warm, soft mattress which she had comfortably dreamed in, and was afraid of facing the world. Of course, she had no choice.

Yuffie took off her sleepwear and slipped on a bra, fumbling with the buckles in the back. When she was done that, she walked over and saw her old outfit hanging on the wall. The perfectly untouched turtleneck tanktop... The outrageously short tan-colored shorts... Her shureiken, all which she hadn't touched in months. Yes, this was the outfit she wanted to wear. If there was anyway to defeat this, it was to bring the old Yuffie back.

After she was dressed, she was about to head outside to greet her allies 'good morning' when something caught her eye...

_What's this? she thought, staring at the burn on her mother's kimono. Something was beneath it... Like a pouch, or something. Reaching into it, she pulled out a round ball-like thing and a sheet of paper._

"Materia?" The orb composed of Mako energy glowed green, like most magic Materia, but this was one she didn't recognize. Assuming the paper was a letter and that the letter would explain everything, she opened it and began to read quietly to herself.

"Dear Yuffie Kisaragi," it began, "Hello. You know me and I know you, but we have never met. I am your mother, Rori Kisaragi (A/N: I have NOOOOOO clue what Yuffie's mom's name is, or her background, so I just made this up). I'm writing this in a hospital on what I'm guessing to be my last few weeks of life. You've just turned two years old at this time. If you are reading this, then I'm assuming that your father has given it to you already, of course. I know that this is an outrageous place to put such a thing like this, but I didn't want your father to read this. I wanted you alone. I knew you would be smart enough to find this somehow.

This kimono was given to me by the townspeople of Wutai when I had first married your father. It was a gift in hopes of turning me more feminine and more adaptive to the ways of Wutai, but I hardly wore this except on special occasions, and I don't expect you to do so, either. Don't tell your father this, but one of the reasons I fell in love with him was because he knew how to fight.

I know that your dad wouldn't have left you untrained. That was my One Last Wish- make sure our daughter can fight. I know it sounds quite self-centered, but I wanted him to train you because I wanted you to be like me- feisty, rebellious, and strong-willed. Follow your dreams and intentions, Yuffie, even if it means disobeying everyone and anyone standing in your way. That's what I was like.

I've left you a present. It's a Hypnotize Materia (A/N: I just made this up... :S), one that I had when I was very little and developed for you. I know it will be of great use, for it is very powerful, but be careful- it would be dangerous to use it if you are not strong enough.

All the best luck, my dear girl, and remember- you are a young woman with potential. Do what you want, whatever the reason- for laughs, for power, for love. Whatever the reason, I support you.

With Love,

Rori Kisaragi."

Yuffie smiled at the letter. _So I didn't forget about Mom... I became her._

"Hurry up!" Cid hissed. He was no longer tired, as standing outside in the cold, waiting for someone has a strange effect to wake one up.

"Yeah," Yuffie called back, then equipped the Hypnotize Materia onto her Shureiken. _For good luck._


	8. Consequences to a Victory

New Ways

Chapter 8:

Consequences of a Victory

"Um..." Shake nervously stepped in front of the citizens of Wutai, while Barret and Tifa stood behind him, watching for any dangers. "Uh... Miss Kisaragi isn't here right now... I mean, she's running an emergency errand, so... Um..."

"Oh, God..." Yuffie mumbled to herself, laying on her stomach, watching Shake speak from behind many trees and bushes.

"So... I'm here. Anyways... Uh..."

"Good enough..." Yuffie uttered, burying her head in her hands, "Good enough."

* * *

"Something's wrong," Staniv whispered to Chekhov.

"What do you mean? All's going as planned," Chekhov whispered back.

Staniv's eyes jolted around everywhere, briefly glancing in all directions. "Why isn't Yuffie here?"

"She's got Shake. That's good enough."

"No, Chekhov, that's not good enough. Notice that Shake hasn't said a word that clearly states he's representing Yuffie. He only gives us the hint that he is, but he never actually said it. He's smart, Chekhov," Staniv explained, "Keep your eyes pealed."

Chekhov nodded, then paid close attention to Shake's speech, while glancing nervously at her surroundings.

Just then, Chekhov felt a sharp pain in her back, running through her middle, then she hesitated to look down, afraid of what she might see. "Oh, God..."

"Chekhov!" Staniv reached out and caught Chekhov just as she collapsed, grasping a dark red hole on her stomach. Blood oozed out of the wound, and Chekhov's eyes glazed over. "Shit!" Staniv yelled, then laid her down and looked in the direction that he suspected the unheard bullet came from. _Trees... Bushes... What's that? Staniv's eyes caught on the glisten of something hiding behind a tree, and it could only be one thing- the golden Claw of the gunman, Vincent Valentine._

* * *

"Nice shot," Cloud commented, also on his stomach.

Vincent had no reply, as he was also laying down in the prone position, with his right hand on the trigger of his rifle, and his metallic hand in front, supporting the barrel. A silencer had been placed on the gun, muting the sound of a bang, and his eye was about a centimeter away from an eyepiece, used to aim.

"What's wrong?" Yuffie whispered, noticing a slight change in Vincent's face.

"We've been spotted," he replied.

Yuffie was stunned, so she looked in the direction of the fallen Chekhov and Staniv, who had his gaze fixed upon the hand of Vincent.

"Shit," Cid mumbled, also noticing it.

"Hurry! Shoot Staniv!" Yuffie urged.

Vincent slowly aimed, to make things perfect, but just before he shot, the enemy pulled a citizen in front of his body, as a human shield. "Damn!" Vincent exclaimed.

They watched Staniv whisper something to Gorky, then watched the old man run up and grab Shake.

"Let him go!" Tifa shrieked, then threw a punch at Gorky's face. He blocked it, then Barret held up his gun-arm, as a threat.

"You shoot," Gorky threatened, "then the boy dies."

Barret slowly lowered his right arm as Gorky placed the young and frightened boy inbetween the muscled man and himself.

"Come out, Miss Yuffie," Gorky yelled, enunciating the young girl's name, "if you want to see Shake alive again.

"Crap..." Yuffie didn't know what to do. Go out, or stay put?

"If you dont' come out," Staniv added, drawing a small revolver from underneath his clothes, "then the boy dies. It's up to you."

Yuffie hesitated, then shuffled her way out.

"Yuffie!" Red XIII hissed, "What are you doing?!"

"Saving a boy's life," Yuffie replied, "You wanted me?"

"You're smart," Staniv smirked.

Yuffie narrowed her eyes. "Leave Shake out of this."

"I can't," Gorky replied, "You're the one that got him into this."

_Come on, Yuffie, think! You have to get Shake out of this alive, but you also can't just give up! Come on!!!_

_ "Staniv, at least let that guy go," Yuffie mumbled._

"Only if you tell your friends not to kill me," Staniv threatened.

Yuffie glared at Staniv subtly, then called to Vincent without taking her eyes off Staniv, "It's alright. Don't kill him."

"She serious?" Cid whispered hoarsely to Vincent.

The ex-Turk stared at Yuffie's glare, then slowly nodded. The team pulled themselves off the ground and stepped out, leaving their weapons in the bushes as Staniv slowly let his hostage go.

Vincent gave Yuffie a confused look, hoping she'd give a signal of what she's doing. The young girl returned Vincent a confident yet scared look, then through her eyes, he knew what she wanted him to do.

Vincent spun around and kicked the revolver out of Staniv's hand with his steel leg, then with lightning-speed reflexes, caught it and shot it at Staniv's chest.

Staniv fell backwards, then Vincent shot again, this time the bullet hitting his neck.

"Fools!" Gorky laughed, then drew a gun from under his shirt and jabbed it at Shake's temple. "Do you think I'd come unarmed?"

"Shit!" Cloud yelled.

_God! Yuffie thought, __How could I be so stupid__?! Come on__! This can't be good..._

Yuffie clutched tightly against her shureiken, her knuckles turning white from the firmness of her grip. That's when she remembered her lucky charm- the Hypnotize Materia.

Yuffie closed her eyes and summoned her magic power from within herself, as the Materia on her weapon glowed brighter and stronger by the minute.

"Mind Control," Yuffie uttered, opening her eyes. Vincent stared at her in shock as he realized that her eyes were glazed over, unlike other times of using magic. Something was going to go wrong, and he knew it, but he didn't move.

Slowly, Gorky's eyes glazed over as well, and he seemed to have lost control of himself. Slowly, he dropped the revolver and let the young boy go, then stood there, staring at nothing in particular, doing nothing in particular. Barret used this chance to shoot the last threat to Wutai's political party. Yuffie shut her eyes, then opened them, not looking so lifeless anymore. She watched the man that Barret had killed fall over on his knees and collapse down onto the ground, bullet holes dominating his back.

"Oh, my God, Yuffie!" Shake yelled, running over and hugging her tightly, crying on her shirt.

"Yuffie?" Vincent called, seeing her blank face. She kept on staring dumbfoundedly at the dead body, as if there was something occupying her mind so much she couldn't think.

"Yuffie, what's wrong?" Shake asked.

_What's wrong? Hmm? Nothing's wrong... I just feel nauseated... and dizzy... and light-headed... and sick... and my vision's going out on me... and oh, my God, I think I'm gonna die..._

_ "It would be dangerous to use it if you are not strong enough," a voice rang in Yuffie's mind._

_M-Mom?_

* * *

Yuffie's eyes fluttered open, seeing the familiar surroundings of her room.

"I see you're awake," Vincent called, appearing beside her.

"Oh, God," Yuffie groaned, rubbing the back of her head, sitting up, "What the hell happened?"

"You went into a coma for a week or so," Vincent explained, "Some very powerful Materia you've got there."

"It was my mother's," Yuffie mumbled.

Vincent just sat there on the side of her bed, wordless.

"So... How long did you stay with me?" she asked.

"The whole time," he replied simply.

"What about the others?" she added hastily.

"They left about four days ago," Vincent explained.

"Oh..." said Yuffie silently, almost whispering.

"Yuffie, I-"

"Listen, Vin'..."

The two stopped as they talked at the same time past the awkward silence that hovered between them.

"Yuffie, I have to go. I have to find Lucrecia," Vincent told her.

"Sure," Yuffie replied, "Just one thing before you go..."

Vincent gave her a silent response with his red eyes of hidden emotion.

"Why did you stay?" she asked.

"I felt you needed my help more than the others."

Vincent got up and left without any form of goodbye or any words, just left, his cape fluttering with the light breeze as he stepped out of Yuffie's house.

"Wait!" Yuffie shouted from behind him. He turned to see the young savior of Wutai run out from her house, clutching a green orb in her hand. "Here," she said, stuffing the Materia in Vincent's hand, "For you."

"I can't take this," Vincent objected, "It was your mother's."

Yuffie shrugged, letting her pride take over. "I've no use for it. You can keep my junk." _But it's not junk, she thought, half-regretting her words, __It's my gift to you so you won't forget me..._

Vincent gave her a long stare, somehow seeing past her invisible barrier of pride. "Thank you," he said at last.

Yuffie smiled, then headed back to her home, trying to keep her tears inside herself until the front door was shut and he could not see her anymore.

(A/N: I hope you got that subtle thingamadoey about the red eyes of hidden emotion... cuz see, red is represented by love or anger, and vincent's obviously not angry at yuffie, so he's in love, but he SAYS he luvs lucrecia, therefore HIDING his emotions for yuffie. ALSO, i hope you understood why i called this chapter "consequences of a victory". you see, yuffie won, but that means the mission's over and vincent'll have to leave. :'( ANYWAYS, r+r please, and don't worry- the story doesn't end sad. i'm gonna make a VERY long epilogue to this.)__


	9. Epilogue Part 1: Futures

New Ways

Epilogue Part 1:

Futures

Four years has gone by since Yuffie has last seen Vincent. She still misses him dearly, however, never shows it.

After explaining to the townspeople of Wutai what was going on behind the daily lives of citizens, the people began to forgive Yuffie for her killings, and slowly she won the people's respect, not that she didn't have it before. She returned Wutai to the way she and her father loved it the most, the fighting town it was.

After Chekhov's death, Yuffie became the official guardian of Shake, although they were only a few years apart in age. She was more of a 'big sister' to Shake, and Shake was a 'little brother'. They had grown fond of each other after the while, and thought of each others as best friends, which took many people by surprise, and some people merely wondered why it took so long for the relationship to bond.

In the meanwhile, Vincent was still on his quest to find Lucrecia. He didn't know where she was at all, but he never gave up. There was always a small voice inside him, though, nagging at him to stop and just turn to the girl that he thought about everyday- the young leader of Wutai. Of course, if he decided to go back to Wutai, what would he say? It was hard for him to tell people things. He was just born that way, with a certain isolation, a barrier of some kind. A people-barrier. However, he noticed that when he had spent the few days with Yuffie still conscious, his isolation broke down slightly, and every day that he looked after Yuffie during her coma, he felt more and more responsible to be there for her, to take care of her, to make sure she never has another broken heart. He knew that if he was to go back, Yuffie would welcome him... Or would she? He hurt her before, emotionally, and there was always something awkward between them since then. But perhaps... Maybe there was a slight chance...

* * *

"Oh, God!" Shake exclaimed, running into his shared home with Yuffie.

"Ouch," Yuffie replied without enthusiasm as Shake accidently ran into her in his haste. She was too worn out from training to care much about anything.

"I claim the shower!" Shake yelled, barging through the front door and heading straight for the bathroom.

"Oh, goody." Yuffie sighed, wondering what she'd do about Vincent. She couldn't hide it anymore. Of course, she had returned to her old, witty and feisty self, as she realized soon after the departure of Vincent that her way of coping with her father's death was wrong, and that being the way that her teammates had first met her was the way she truly was, but now she felt that she'd explode into a higher level of feisty if she didn't do something about her love for the gunman.

After Shake came out, wearing comfortable sleepwear, she headed for the shower. She took off her clothes, and stepped into the already-humid shower room and shut the fogged glass door, turning the tap on. Warm water streamed down from the shower head, smothering her face and hair, as well as her body.

"Oh, God," she uttered to herself, squeezing her eyes shut as to not get any water in her eyes, then ran her hands through her short black hair, soaking every strand of it.

She loved being in warm showers. It was refreshing to her mind, her body, her soul. It's like how a prissy teenager would feel about a makeover- when a girl looks good, she feels good, and the shower was her makeover. As she rubbed her scalp with her fingers, causing white, aromatic foam to form on her hands and her hair, she thought about Vincent all the while, thought about his eyes, his hair, his smile. It became apparent that she was obsessed with him- something she didn't expect to happen. She always thought that her love for Vincent would end when he left- that her feelings were merely a crush, puppy love or something, but over the years, it only became stronger. She couldn't go on without him. No, she had to find him and share one more kiss, one more touch. Just one was all she wanted. Just one would be good enough.

Stepping out of the shower, she put on her pajamas and dried her short dark hair, then walked out of the bathroom and prepared for bed. Come dawn, she'd tell Shake that she's leaving to find Vincent.


	10. Epilogue Part 2: The Quest for Vincent

New Ways

Epilogue Part 2:

The Quest for Vincent

A/N: Yeah, yeah, I know, this epilogue is turning out to be more like "the end of a story", but really, Vincent leaving Yuffie is the end of the story, which would make this either the epilogue or the VERY short sequel, and personally because it is just bits and pieces here and there, I prefer the epilogue.

Yuffie was all alone now. She was surrounded by vast and endless fields of green, enveloping her, and above was a crystal sky spotted with wisps of clouds, swirling with the wind. Miles and miles away from the nearest city, there was nothing in sight except for gently rolling hills of green, which fade away to a dry yellow as she approaches them.

To find Vincent in this massive something-yet-nothingness was nearly impossible. She had no clue where to search first. Of course, she did know, she just didn't want to search there for fear that she'd find Vincent. She wanted to find him, just not there- in the cave behind the waterfall, the place Vincent saw his long-lost love. If she were to find him there, she'd be very much hurt- it would mean Vincent is still in love with Lucrecia, and she'd be rejected, which would hurt her pride, and Yuffie was a proud girl.

But she had to find him, regardless of where. Swallowing up her pride, she took long strides east to the Nibel area. Besides- if Lucrecia was still in that God-forbid cave, she could always shut her up with her wittiness and feisty attitude, which she had grown to be proud of.

* * *

She was here.

In an almost unmapped area of the small world she saved.

To her right was a lake. To her left were mountains, peaking high into the sky. In front of her was a thundering waterfall, crashing, smothering the voice of all thoughts. Straight forward was where she needed to go.

Small droplets of mist from the waterfall soak Yuffie's face and front. She knew she had to go through to the other side, but she didn't know if she _wanted to. Of course, if Vincent was here, she'd be glad, but then again, he'd have to be __here if she found him here, and she's hoping he's not._

Hoping she won't regret it, she stepped forward into the heavy waterfall, feeling the massive drops of water sting her back like many slivers digging into her skin.

A matter of seconds later, she was in the cave. Long wet bangs stuck against her face, and she quickly pulled it away from her cheeks. They had grown over the years, and were now long enough to be tucked behind her ears but a strand still fell across her face. Irritation slowly growing, she shoved that disobediant strand impatiently behind her ear, but it still fell forward and she ignored it.

"Vincent?" she called, her voice echoing against the stone walls of the cave. Slowly, she walked forward, feeling the fabric of her top cling against her skin uncomfortably, making her feel almost immobile. "Vincent!"

"Yes?"

Yuffie spun around and saw Vincent, wet and soaked, as he had just walked past the booming falls. His long dark hair was matted against his face and neck, in perfect opposition to his pale face.

Yuffie swallowed down a lump in her throat. She hid her pain of seeing Vincent in the place of his "lover", and put on an emotionless face. "What are you doing here?"

"What are _you doing here?" Vincent asked coolly._

Yuffie shivered lightly, then gathered up her courage to stare him straight in the eye and say with a quivering yet strong voice, "Looking for you."

Vincent was quiet. His eyes gave nothing away, his face was a blank slate. His ability to hide was frightening Yuffie slightly, as she had no idea what he was thinking.

"Now answer my question," Yuffie ordered.

"I'm looking for Lucrecia."

Yuffie's most dreaded answer. The name Lucrecia bounced off the walls, amplified a million times before clicking into her mind a thousand times.

"I see..."

As Yuffie walked forward towards the waterfall, heading for the exit of the cave, Vincent's voice stopped her.

"I wanted to tell her I didn't love her," he called.

Yuffie stopped, then turned to look at Vincent once more. "Oh, really?" she said coyly, "So let's hear you say it- who _do you love?" Now that she was certain he wasn't obsessed over the brunette Shinra scientist, she wanted to hear it straight out loud, she wanted to hear him confess to her that he loved her. At least, she hoped he loved her. In either case, this was her way of getting the ex-Turk to admit defeat, whether or not he loved her._

"I..." Vincent stopped, feeling slightly awkward.

"Go on," Yuffie prompted, attitude ringing through her voice, making Vincent more embarrassed.

"I love you..." he muttered under his breath.

"What's that?" she said sarcastically, cupping her ear, "I can't hear you!" Her voice had tons of sly pleasure sewn into it, and her facial expression showed it as well.

"I love you," he repeated, louder, "I do. Don't make me regret saying that."

Yuffie smiled at Vincent, sincerity glowing from her. "I won't."

For a while, the two just stared at each other in silence as the waterfall roared. Vincent approached Yuffie, then reaching out with his Claw, he gently held Yuffie's right hand up to his lips and kissed her wrist gently.

Yuffie felt herself blushing. A kiss on the wrist was a gesture only Vincent would do. A gesture he'd only do if he meant it.

The girl smiled crookedly at Vincent, then reached up and caught his head, pulling him downward towards her face, kissing him. She stood on her toes to meet Vincent's enormous height, and Vincent wrapped his arms around her wet waist, embracing her tightly.

Her kiss was nothing like Lucrecia's. She was different from her- she was more feisty, more witty, more charming, more coy. Vincent admired her personality, the fact that it was so different from his, and the fact that he never would've imagined he'd fall for her. 

But he did.

~*Finished*~


	11. Author's Notes (:S)

Author's Notes~!!  
  
A'ight, peeps, since I forgot to do a disclaimer at the very beginning of the story (:S), I'm gonna do it now. FF7 does NOT belong to me- it belongs to Squaresoft (I think).  
  
And another thing- if you honestly believed I supported the thought of Yuffie and Vincent being together, you are sadly mistaken (alright, you have permission to flame me). I personally think that Yuffie's WAY too young and Vincent's WAY too old, and Yuffie's probably the "annoying little girl" in Vincent's mind (not that I don't like her- she's my fave, just that Vincent probably doesn't like her, and not that I don't like HIM, either, 'cuz he is damn hot!!!). So why did I write this fic??? Because I felt like it. That's right, y'all heard me- because I Goddamn felt like it. Got a problem with that?!?!?!? 


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